ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Student participation in competitive innovation programmes requires more than creative ideas, as students must integrate academic writing, teamwork, mentoring, and responsiveness to changing evaluation requirements. This study examines how students progress through the funding and PIMNAS presentation stages of the Student Creativity Program (PKM). A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted involving 16 participants, comprising 10 students, three PKM supervisors, and three faculty leaders at the Faculty of Economics and Business of a state university in Surabaya, Indonesia. Data were collected through document analysis, semi structured interviews, and a focus group discussion and analysed through thematic analysis and cross source comparison. The findings reveal six interrelated dimensions underpinning successful progression: proposal quality, teamwork and role distribution, supervisory guidance and academic support, understanding of evaluation criteria, execution and compliance discipline, and motivation and persistence. Rather than operating independently, these dimensions become relevant as students respond to the progressively different demands of each competitive stage. The study contributes the concept of sequential capability alignment, positioning PKM success as a process of coordinating and adapting capabilities across successive stages. The findings highlight the need for continuous, stage specific institutional support that integrates proposal mentoring, substantive review, structured feedback, implementation support, and presentation preparation.
Apandi, I. (2020, May 19). Langkah Praktis Melakukan Penilaian Hots dalam Kompasiana.
Belmawa, D. P. dan K. (2024). Panduan Umum Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa (PKM) Tahun 2024. Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, Dan Teknologi.
Bendickson, J. S., Madden, L., & Matherne, C. F. III. (2020). Graduate students mentoring undergraduate students’ business innovation pitches. The International Journal of Management Education, 18(2), 100390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2020.100390
Heidrich F, & Schubert K. (2019). Writing Research and Specialized Communication Studies. Hermes – J Lang Commun Bus, 59, 53–70.
Hidayat, R. , & Pratiwi, L. (2023). Analisis Faktor Penentu Keberhasilan Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa di Perguruan Tinggi Negeri. Jurnal Pengabdian Dan Inovasi Mahasiswa, 4(2), 89–109.
Ismail, *Ismail, Putri, R. S., Zulfadhli, Z., Mustofa, A., Musfiana, M., & Hadiyani, R. (2022). Student Motivation to Follow the Student Creativity Program. Riwayat: Educational Journal of History and Humanities, 5(2), 351–360. https://doi.org/10.24815/jr.v5i2.27641
Karlsson A-M, & Nikolaidou Z. (2016). The Textualization of Problem Handling: Lean Discourses Meet Professional Competence in Eldercare and the Manufacturing Industry. Writ Commun, 33(3), 275–301.
Konaka, A., Kulturel-Konaka, S., Schneider, D. R., & Mehta, K. (2025). Enhancing student learning in innovation competitions and programs. European Journal of Engineering Education, 50(2), 360–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2024.2394945
Mulder, M. (2017). Competence-based Vocational and Professional Education: Bridging the Worlds of Work and Education. Springer.
Nore, H. (2015). Re-contextualizing vocational didactics in Norwegian vocational education and training. Int J Res Vocat Educ Train, 2(3), 94–182.
Reuer EO, Newman S, & Newman J. (2016). Learning to Write as a Professional: Engineers and Health Professionals in the United Kingdom and Germany. In: Writing for Professional Development.
Sadler TD, & Zeidler DL. (2009). Scientific literacy, PISA, and socioscientific discourse: Assessment for progressive aims of science education. Journal Res Sci Teach, 46(3), 909–921.
Schrijver I, & Leijten M. (2019). The diverse field of professional writing: Current perspectives on writing in the workplace. Hermes – J Lang Commun Bus, 59, 7–14.
Setiamurti, A., & Kurniawati, F. (2024). Fostering creativity in higher education institution: A systematic review (2018–2022). Open Education Studies, 6(1), 20220221. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2022-0221
Setiawan, I., Waluyo, R., Putranto, B. D., Maulida, F. M., & Pratini, H. B. (2023). Sosialisasi Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa (PKM) dan Pelatihan Pembuatan Proposal PKM Bagi Mahasiswa. Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat (ABDIRA), 3(2), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.31004/abdira.v3i2.326
Siregar, M. (2022). Kedisiplinan Administratif sebagai Faktor Kritis dalam Seleksi Proposal PKM. Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Tinggi, 5(1).
Sugiyono. (2017). Metode Penelitian Kebijakan: Pendekatan Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, Kombinasi, R&D dan Penelitian Evaluasi. Alfabeta.
Taryudi, T. , Wardatussa’idah, I. , & Hakim, A. R. (2024). Faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Kesiapan Mahasiswa dalam Mengikuti Program Kreativitas di Universitas Negeri Jakarta. Risenologi, 9(2), 95–100.
Tseng, F.-M., Ngoc Jade, N. B., Weng, H.-H. R., & Lu, F.-Y. (2024). Effects of team diversity, emergent leadership, and shared leadership on team performance in a multi-stage innovation and creativity crowdsourcing competition. The International Journal of Management Education, 22(2), 100948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2024.100948
Weinstein, N., Haddock, G., Chubb, J., Wilsdon, J., & Manville, C. (2023). Supported or stressed while being assessed? How motivational climates in
Wibowo, A. (2021). Hubungan Keterampilan Menulis Akademik dengan Keberhasilan Proposal Mahasiswa dalam Kompetisi PKM. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dan Humaniora, 7(3), 201–214.
Zou, T. X. P., Susanto, J., Wahab, A. A., Hong, N., Chiu, C. S. T., & Leung, L. Y. Y. (2023). What made undergraduate research experiences significant: A collaborative critical incident analysis with student co-researchers. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(7), 1808–1823. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2157799
Rahman, M. F. W., Hermanto, F. Y., Nurlaili, E. I., Husain, M., & Pratama, T. Y. (2026). Success Factors of Students Passing Funding and Presentation Stages in the Student Creativity Program (PKM). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(10), 831-844.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode